Re: texmf.cnf again
On Tue, 10 Jun 2003 14:14:18 -0400, Brian T Sniffen <bts@alum.mit.edu> said:
>>> I've suggested it before: why not maintain the auto-generated
>>> texmf.cnf in /var, and offer the administrator to symlink
>>> /etc/texmf/texmf.cnf to it?
>>
>> Because that leaves users out in the ghetto. If a TeX package needs
>> some changes to go into the configuration (as happened with Adam Di
>> Carlo's package), the user is never asked.
> Sure, he can be: if the user has the symlink, he'll get the easy
> autoupdate. If he's removed the symlink and has his own texmf.cnf,
> there should be a note in the package's README.Debian that this
> package requires configuration to be useful.
> This seems entirely reasonable, not "poor packaging quality" at all.
>> It is still the either you give up control of you configuration
>> file to me, and only edit configuration files in a manner I
>> prescribe, or else you are unsupported. This may adhere to the
>> letter of the policy, but is poor packing quality, and we can do
>> better.
>>
>>> No merging, no parsing, no complexity, no loss of information, and
>>> you can choose between power and user friendliness on a per
>>> machine basis.
>>
>> And no support.
> "Here are the program files, documentation on how to configure them
> is in /usr/share/doc/pgkname/README.Debian" certainly doesn't sound
> like quality below Debian's standard -- is there some obviously
> better way to support people with weird texmf.cnf that hasn't been
> mentioned yet?
When I upgrade packages with conffiles, I do not have to go
trolling afterwards to go have a look if I need to update anything. I
do not have to take action for _all_ packages; I am *ASKED* for
packages whose conffiles have *CHANGED*.
Now you are advocating a scenario where I have to remind
myself to check for all packages upgraded, and wonder if there was
any change upstream, and merge it in manually, and you think this is
not a serious degradation?
manoj
--
I'll burn my books. Christopher Marlowe
Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@debian.org> <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/>
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